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"What is a 'Five-Complete Elder'?" Hongzhou asked.
"They must be of the right age, have all their descendants, have all their wives, be of good character, and have all their reputations!" Hongli said. "Just looking at their age, there will probably be many, many elderly people over sixty-five. Choosing from among these elderly people who are willing to celebrate the Emperor's birthday is a rather complicated matter."
“Oh. Selecting a thousand such people from all the prefectures and states across the country is no easy task,” Hongzhou said.
"Yes, so I will personally go to some important prefectures of the Qing Dynasty and explain the requirements of the Five-Complete Elders to the local prefects. Then I will have them issue a notice that any elderly person who meets these conditions, whether from an official family or a farming family, can sign up. However, before participating, they must bring proof that they meet these conditions. If anyone is found to be impersonating someone, they will be severely punished." Hongli said, "Grandfather, with his achievements in both civil and military affairs, he was a wise ruler of the Qing Dynasty. Together with these sixty-five-year-old elders, he witnessed the Qing Dynasty's transformation from poverty to prosperity and strength."
"Hongli, I want to go with you!" Hongzhou also wanted to go out for a walk.
“Alright, the two of us brothers will go together. But you have to get Aunt Geng’s permission first,” Hongli said.
“I’m all grown up now. Besides, if I go with you, Hongli, to do things for Grandfather, Mother will definitely agree,” Hongzhou said.
After the Little New Year, the Fourth Prince no longer entered the palace. Instead, he went to Changchun Garden every day to accompany the Emperor, reporting on various matters to him before beginning preparations for the New Year's banquet. The Emperor specially ordered important relatives of the imperial family and several important cabinet ministers to attend the New Year's banquet at Changchun Garden, exempting everyone else from paying their respects.
All the princes who were stationed in various places were summoned back, and the Fourteenth Prince was already on his way back. The Seventeenth Prince, who had not planned to return after receiving a special summons from the Fourth Prince, also set off immediately.
Lanqin received a message from the Fourth Prince that she would be attending the New Year's banquet at Changchun Garden with the Princess Consort. Originally, Emperor Kangxi only allowed members of the imperial family to bring their principal wives, but thinking of Hongli, he specifically named Lanqin.
“My lady, I think you could dress more formally this time. After all, you were personally chosen by the Emperor, and you are also the mother of the Fourth Prince,” Baoqin said as she selected a qipao for Lanqin.
“No matter how grand the occasion, I am still a secondary consort. With the primary consort in place, I cannot overstep the bounds of propriety,” Lanqin said.
“But you are already the de facto Fourth Prince’s wife. The Prince also values the Fourth Prince the most,” Yu Xiao added from the side.
“We must not say such things again. We can talk about it behind closed doors, but not a single word of it should be uttered outside,” Lanqin said.
Seeing Lanqin's sudden serious expression, the two maids dared not joke around anymore and quickly bowed, saying, "We misspoke."
“In any case, she is the Fourth Prince’s wife personally chosen by the Emperor. I’m afraid that won’t change. Even if I am the Fourth Prince’s wife in name only, I am still a concubine in name,” Lanqin said.
The two maids nodded, and Baoqin picked out a light purple qipao for Lanqin and showed it to her.
"For headwear, how about this set of kingfisher feather jewelry? It won't be overstepping your bounds!" Yu Xiao took out a set of headwear from the jewelry box, a new gift from the Fourth Prince. It was a set of kingfisher feather and gold-inlaid jade jewelry with hydrangea flowers, extremely luxurious. The dense hydrangea flowers were all made of very thin pieces of gold, and the flower centers and stamens were all made using the kingfisher feather technique, inlaid with rice-grain-shaped gemstones and jade.
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